


Midnight Snack

by UberDuper



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-01 01:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13987494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UberDuper/pseuds/UberDuper
Summary: “Hello Maki.” Kirumi greeted, stooping down to put some of the pots away. “It's a bit late to be up, isn't it?”“I guess.” Maki replied. Of course it had to be Kirumi. “I could say the same thing to you.”or:Maki accidentally meets up with somebody she really should have expected to see in the kitchen at night, and they share a quick meal together.





	Midnight Snack

**Author's Note:**

> This was a combined request for Anon, Anon, and Anon back on tumblr!

The dark hallways of Hope's Peak Academy were no new environment to one Maki Harukawa. She often traversed the hallways past curfew, just to familiarize herself with the layout of the school. It was never a bad idea to know everything you could about your surroundings, especially when one was hiding a secret like Maki's. An escape route was always a good thing to have in mind.

However, Maki was already familiar with what she assumed was most of the nooks and crannies the school building itself had to offer. Tonight, Maki had a different objective in mind. Normally, what she had at the designated meal times at Hope's Peak were enough to satisfy her, but maybe her training was becoming less prominent, because-

_Growl._

There it was again: her stomach rumbling. How juvenile she felt, heading to the kitchen for a midnight snack. Maki has always assumed this was just something that happened in shitty sitcoms to set up a punchline, or as an event in dumb teen romance novels to move the plot along. And yet here she was, tromping down to the kitchen in her plain red pajamas, her stomach demanding food. This was dumb.

Her bare footsteps echoed quietly through the hallway, her mind stuck on what was available. She could probably just make a sandwich or something. Maybe microwave some rice and meat. Something easy that she could take back to her room with her. That would be nice. Her gaze was focused on the ground, though she was keeping an ear out just in case an ambush was coming.

The clink of metal against metal caught her ear. Maki's head snapped upwards, zeroing in on the door to the cafeteria. There was just the slightest shaft of light leaking out into the hallway from underneath the cafeteria door, like light from another room. Maki frowned. Who the hell could _possibly_ be up at this hour? Besides her of course.

Maki pushed the door to the cafeteria open. The lights were off, the expansive room dark, though extended shadows jumped across the floor and ceiling as light slipped through the crack of the door to the kitchen. The sounds of what was probably pots being stacked echoed from within. Maki frowned as she pushed the cafeteria door the rest of the way open. She patted her leg, making sure the knife in her pant leg was easily accessible and still there before making her way over to the kitchen door, pulling it open.

Inside the kitchen stood Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid. She had a stack of pots and pans balanced in one arm, the other holding open a cabinet door. On the counter before her was a stack of plates, flanked by a pile of silverware and a bunch of bowls. The smell of soap and hot water hung in the air, and the room was just a little more humid than the cafeteria. Kirumi's gaze flicked over as soon as the door opened, a smile growing on her face when she saw who it was.

“Hello Maki.” Kirumi greeted, stooping down to put some of the pots away. “It's a bit late to be up, isn't it?”

“I guess.” Maki replied. Of course it had to be Kirumi. It was so hard to talk to her. Not because Kirumi was an asshole like Kokichi or unapproachable like Korekiyo or anything, far from it. Maki liked being around Kirumi for some reason. It was like hanging with Kaede or Kaito, except... she felt weird about it. Still, her attention turned away from her thoughts and back to the girl in the room with her. “I could say the same thing to you.”

“I suppose so.” Kirumi chuckled, putting the rest of the pots away and closing the cabinet. She then turned to Maki fully, a smile on her face and her hands clasped in front of her. “I was simply cleaning up the kitchen after Teruteru. He was, up until just a few minutes ago, finishing up some dishes he wished to present tomorrow.”

“...and you helped him?” Maki scoffed.

“Of course.” Kirumi replied, “He requested my presence, so it was only natural that I would assist him.”

“And he made you clean up after him?” Maki crossed her arms.

“Not exactly.” Kirumi closed her eyes and sighed. “I noticed that his movements were getting sluggish as we washed dishes. I told him it would be best for him to get some rest, and he told me he would rather stay so we could 'get wet together', so I sent him away with a stern warning.” She shook her head and adjusted one of her gloves. Despite herself, Maki smirked.

“What a sleaze.” She snorted. “Well, I should probably go then.”

“Ah, already?” Kirumi asked, cocking her head. “But you've just arrived. Surely there's a reason you came here. Perhaps I can assist you?”

“It's not important.” Maki said, turning away. “Don't wanna bother you with anything.” It was then that her stomach took the moment to growl. Maki's back involuntarily straightened, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. Kirumi laughed, and Maki was glad that she was facing the door, because then maybe Kirumi wouldn't see the color rising to her cheeks.

“Oh, you're hungry. You should have told me.” Kirumi said. Maki heard some shuffling behind her. “Let me make you something to eat. It should be light, as I assume you'll be getting off to bed soon after. Tell me, do you prefer fish, or tofu?”

“...fish.” Maki replied without thinking, still facing the door.

“Right. Please, feel free to step out into the cafeteria. This should not take too long.”

Maki didn't know what to do. Her hand reached out, settling on the doorknob. She was ready to follow the suggestion without a second thought, and was halfway through the action when something stopped her. The door to the cafeteria was half open, showing part of the dark room to Maki. She stared out at the darkness for a bit before frowning. Wait a minute.

Upon turning around, Maki blinked in surprise. Kirumi had somehow retrieve a bunch of cooking materials and utensils within the few moments Maki had been facing the other way, and was now placing a bunch of different ingredients onto the counter. She glanced up at Maki when she noticed movement and smiled before turning back the food before her. Badump.

Before she could stop herself, Maki was moving towards Kirumi, and quickly found herself at the Maid's side. “Ahem.” She cleared her throat, making Kirumi glance at her.

“...yes?” She asked, brow cocked.

“Let me help you.” Maki said. “It's my food, so I should help.” A little part in the back of her brain told her that this was an excellent opportunity to make sure there weren't any poisons in the vicinity that could be slipped into her food, though she quickly shushed it. That's not why she was standing here.

“...” Kirumi looked at her curiously, brow raised slightly. Then, she cracked a smile and straightened her back. “If that is what you desire, then it would only be pertinent to let you help. I am going to be frying some fish, lightly of course, so if you would not mind cutting the herbs and slicing one of those lemons, that would be more than helpful.”

“Okay.” Was all Maki could think of to say. Kirumi nodded lightly at her, and turned back to the counter. Maki looked over the food laid out before her. A bunch of herbs she couldn't name, a small bag of lemons, some seasonings Maki had never seen before, a bottle of oil that Kirumi had just picked up. Standard kitchen stuff, she supposed. “Hey,” Maki suddenly said.

“Yes?” Kirumi asked without looking over, flicking the stove on.

“Make two.” She replied. “One for me and one for you.” _That_ drew Kirumi's attention, and she looked over with one of the most surprised expressions Maki had ever seen on her face. There was a certain intensity to Kirumi's look that caught even Maki off guard, and she quickly scrambled for an excuse. Why the hell had she said that? “I'm not taking this back to my room, and it would be weird to be eating alone.” Forget the fact that eating alone in her room was the plan originally.

Just as quickly as it shown up, the confusion on Kirumi's face disappeared. Her normal, serene smile reappeared, and she nodded. “Of course. Apologies, I don't normally get requests like that, so it caught me a little off guard.”

“I bet.” Maki said, finally moving to do what she was supposed to do. To her side, she heard the sound of oil being splashed into the pan, immediately sizzling as the heat got to it. Maki reached for a knife, one of the ones in the holder, and felt her hand bump something. She glanced over to see her hand over top of Kirumi's. She quickly yanked it back.

Kirumi seemed unfazed, simply uttering a quiet 'my bad' before plucking a knife from the holder and moving to fillet the fish. Maki was frozen for a moment, and only regained her composure when Kirumi muttered something about seasoning and stepped away to a different part of the kitchen.

Maki put a hand to her chest, exhaling a breath she didn't know she was holding. Maybe she shouldn't have come. Apparently, she was more tired than she was hungry, because she was normally in more control of herself. Then again, it was rare that she was alone with Kirumi like this. Maki risked a glance over her shoulder at the Maid, who was digging through what appeared to be a spice cabinet, looking for something. God, what was her problem with Kirumi?

Her hand tingled as she reached up and quickly grabbed a knife from the holder, moving to start chopping herbs just as Kirumi returned, spice bottle in hand. Maki stared down at the herbs as she chopped, keeping her gaze focused forward. No more being stupid. To the side, the sizzle of something being laid in oil filled the air, as did the smell of cooking fish. It made the room once again ever so warmer than before, and Maki soon found herself focused on her task. She wasn't experienced with chopping food, but a knife felt familiar in her hand, and she worked from there.

Before long, all of the herbs before her had been chopped, and that left Maki with the simple task of cutting a few lemon wedges. It only took two slices, and when she was done she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Excellent timing.” Kirumi said. Maki felt a warmth in her chest as she shrugged, retracting the knife.

“It wasn't a big deal.”

“Mmhmm, I imagine.” Kirumi said, reaching over. She carefully took a pinch of the herbs and one of the lemon wedges before moving back over to the stove, which popped and sizzled to greet her. Maki looked over, watching her season one of the fillets in the pan. Kirumi's voice caught her attention again. “So,” the Maid said, “I imagine this is nothing new to you. Cooking, I mean. Do you cook for the kids you take care of a lot?”

“Huh?” Maki asked, before remembering her 'talent'. Right, Child Caregiver. That was her. “Oh, no.” She shook her head. “I do... other stuff.”

“What kinds, if you don't mind me asking?” Kirumi asked, reaching for more herbs.

“I mean...” Maki scrambled to make something up. “I just... look over them. It's normal stuff, but kids really like me for some reason. It's nothing special, but I guess for Hope's Peak it's enough.” She scoffed.

“Hmm...” Kirumi hummed, fiddling more with the stove and the food she was cooking. “Well, I suppose it might not seem too extraordinary for you, since you do it all the time.” The kitchen fell quiet, aside from the hot pops and snaps of the oil in the pan, and Kirumi spoke up again before Maki could think of anything to say. “Perhaps I might be hired to work at your orphanage some time.”

“Yeah, as if.” Maki snorted. “That place barely has the money for a television, let alone a maid like you.”

“...I see.” Kirumi said, and something about how her voice dropped slightly make Maki's chest clench up. “How unfortunate. Working with children is a joy.”

“...” Maki stared at Kirumi for a few moments before closing her eyes and sighing. She couldn't believe she was doing this. “...shit, okay.” Kirumi glanced over at her. “I didn't want to... broadcast this or anything because I don't want it to be an event, but...” Maki looked away. “Kaede wouldn't get off my back about playing piano for the little squirts and of course Kaito got himself and Shuichi involved, so... if you really want, you can, I dunno, come along or something if we go.” She looked up at Kirumi with a frown. “ _If_.”

Despite her insistence on the fact that it wasn't a certain, Kirumi smiled. “That sounds lovely. I will do my best to keep my schedule open enough for the possibility.”

“Alright.” Maki said back, turning her head to hide her face. Dammit, why did she do that? It was bad enough that Kaito was going to be there.

Maki didn't have anything else to do, so she simply stood there and watched as Kirumi finished frying the fish, humming quietly to herself. There was a certain... bounciness to her movements that Maki noticed hadn't been there before, and she focused on it as Kirumi moved to retrieve two plates and sets of silverware. Before long, Maki was handed a plate with a small fillet of fish and a little scoop of rice (when did she make that?) on it.

“I think it would be best to simply eat in here.” Kirumi said, her own plate in hand. “While I do enjoy cleaning, making a mess in the cafeteria at this hour isn't anything but trouble.”

“Yeah, sure.” Maki said, shrugging. She scooted over to a clear part of the counter and hauled herself up, while Kirumi simply stood next to her.

The kitchen was quiet as they ate, but... Maki was fine with that. There was a... strange calmness to the setting that she rarely experienced. Plus, this was probably some of the best fish she'd ever eaten, though... that didn't say much. She'd barely eaten fish at all before she came to Hope's Peak. Still, it was delicious, and that's what mattered.

Maki was done before long, and was left to look down at her empty plate for a few moments. That was that, she supposed. If she was with anybody else, Maki would not have hesitated to bid her companion night (not 'goodnight', just... night) before dumping her dishes in the sink and leaving. But for some reason she felt bad about the thought of dumping her dirty dishes on Kirumi and leaving her alone in the kitchen at shit o'clock at night.

The person of her thoughts interrupted them by clearing her throat and smiling. “Maki,” Kirumi said, holding out a hand. “Let me wash your dishes for you. You should head off to bed. Proper sleep is vital to a successful tomorrow.”

“...” Maki wordlessly handed her plate to Kirumi, who took it with a pleasant nod. She spoke up before Kirumi could move away, however. “I'll wait for you.”

“Mmm?” Kirumi hummed, starting to move over to the sink. “Are you worried about me?” The question sent a wave of embarrassed heat through Maki's body. “There's no need, I'm capable of finishing up on my own.”

“It's not that.” Maki said. She got the feeling that Kirumi was more than capable of taking care of herself. “It would be shitty to leave you by yourself after you made me food.”

“I see.” Kirumi said, a... pleased lilt in her voice. Maki narrowed her eyes. What was she so happy about? “I will try not to be long then.” Maki simply nodded, crossing her arms and staring at the ceiling. True to her word, it was only a couple minutes later that Kirumi shut the last cupboard, adjusting her gloves and smiling at Maki. “Shall we head back then?”

“Yeah.” Was all Maki could think of to reply with. She plodded out first, letting Kirumi turn off the lights and shut the door behind her.

The two walked down Hope's Peak's darkened halls in silence, side by side. Maki did her best to limit the amount of glances she shot at the other girl, with the time in between spent thinking about her. Still, she had nothing to say to Kirumi at the moment, and it seemed like Kirumi felt likewise.

Maki pushed open the front door to the Academy's main building, letting the warm spring air wash over her. The stars twinkled in the sky, while the path before them was lit up with small lights. The moon was out in full, and Maki found herself focused on it.

“You know,” Kirumi said as they began their trek back to the dorms, “You really shouldn't be walking around without shoes on. There's a large possibility that you could step on something sharp or hazardous and injure yourself.”

“...” Maki looked away from the moon to stare at Kirumi. What? She could walk around without shoes if she wanted to. “Maybe.” Was all she replied with, her eyes now focused on the path. The rest of their walk was quiet, Maki's ears focusing on the sounds of cicadas in the trees and, farther off, the sounds of what few cars were still out driving the streets for whatever reason. It was a nice night.

When they finally arrived, Kirumi turned to Maki and smiled again. Maki felt her heart beat in her chest. “I feel as though I should thank you.” Kirumi said.

“Thank me?” Maki repeated. “For what? I didn't do anything.”

“You helped with the food.” Kirumi pointed out. “And... well...” She put her hand to her chin, glancing away to think. “I don't know.” She sighed. “But I feel as though tonight was... well, I had fun.”

“You had fun?” Maki asked, skepticism in her voice. And yet... something about her saying that made Maki stand up just a little straighter.

“Indeed.” Kirumi nodded. “It was enjoyable spending time with you, even if it was just for a late night snack.”

“Huh.” Maki said. Kirumi smiled at her.

“Well, I think we would best be off getting to bed.” She turned away and started walking. Maki was going to leave it at that as well, but cleared her throat to catch Kirumi's attention.

“Hey.”

“Yes?” Kirumi asked, looking over her shoulder at Maki.

“I uh...” Maki wasn't quite sure what to say. She puffed her cheeks out a little in thought, absentmindedly grabbing one of her pigtails. “I had fun too.”

“...I'm glad to hear that.” Kirumi said, and Maki saw a smile grow on her face. It almost shocked her how... happy Kirumi looked, even with a small smile like that. “If you would ever like to spend time with me again, do not hesitate to request my services.” And then Kirumi was gone for real, heading towards her room in the dormitories.

“...Yeah.” Maki said to nobody. She looked up at the moon again, which glowed almost encouragingly. Yeah, maybe she would.

 


End file.
